The Fresh Air Fund’s Annual Spring Gala

Last night on Chelsea’s Pier 60, Fresh Air Fund guests of honor Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Victor Cruz were introduced by teenagers whose lives had been significantly impacted by the organization that for more than 130 years has provided 1.7 million inner-city children with opportunities to experience the great outdoors, like nature-based vacations and trips to camps across the country. The Olsens took the stage at the organization’s annual spring gala and noted how grateful they were for the loving mentors they had when they were kids, while Cruz acknowledged that he needed a little more guidance growing up, evidenced by the fact that his college sent him home—twice—as a result of poor academic performance. When Cruz’s delivery prompted uproarious laughter, he joked, “Ask my mother about it; she won’t find it so funny!”

The pier was transformed into a first-class picnic for the event, replete with table settings of red awning-stripe linens and centerpieces fabricated from neon totes chock-full of festively patterned pinwheels. Childhood toys were scattered about, too, allowing Vogue’s Lynn Yaeger to reveal her talent with a yo-yo, and Mary-Kate Olsen to wonder aloud, “Where’re your ears?,” referring to the antenna-shaped headbands some guests had donned. Out on the terrace, Thakoon Panichgul, Richard Chai,Peter Som, and Jenna Lyons took in the view of kayakers along the Hudson at sunset; the tableau prompted one to wonder if the boats were part of the decor as the panoramic view was so in line with the party’s summer motif.

As the evening drew to a close, up-and-coming actors Colton Haynes (in Richard Chai) and Cody Horn (who mixed a pair of sheer Richard Chai Love pants with a “super-old Alex Wang” top) inspected the floral-printed gift bags to discover each contained Clinique sunscreen, season one of HBO’s Game of Thrones, and a beach read. “A summer survival kit,” Horn called it. Very on theme.